


I am fascinated by two things; you and the moon.

by i_just_want_to_read



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, I'm Sorry, M/M, Non-Supernatural Beacon Hills, Teen Wolf, The Author Regrets Everything, sterek
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-13 05:53:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5697433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_just_want_to_read/pseuds/i_just_want_to_read
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was something about the boy that looked vaguely familiar to Derek, but he was more disgruntled by the fact that the boy felt familiar too.<br/>Derek hadn't realised he was staring until the boy caught his eyes and smiled.<br/>"Hi, I'm Stiles. Don't know if you remember me. I'm the sheriff's son." he smiles.<br/>And of course he was. This was the boy who looked around the office door corner all those years ago when Derek and his sister we're taken in. The boy who walked in on that night. And the boy who put his 9-year-old hand on Derek's 16-year-old knee and told him it was going to be okay, because his mom had died too, and he was also okay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1 -0- Starting Over

Derek hadn’t been in Beacon Hills for 7 years.  
  
  
A few days after the fire his uncle Peter had flown in from New York to sign a lot of paperwork and then suddenly he was Derek’s and his sister’s legal guardian. Derek was, of course, very grateful that Peter was willing to come live in Beacon Hills and take care of them, but he had never been able to honestly say he wasn’t bitter about the fact that it took Peter four days to get there.  
  
  
It was four days of terrifying, uncomfortable and deafening loneliness, both Derek and his sister Cora were lost and had no idea what to do. But you can’t blame a 9 and a 16-year-old for being scared.  
  
  
In those four days they stayed at the precinct, and they were cared for by several officers. However, there is one name that Derek will never be able to forget, and that name was Sheriff Stilinski.  
  
  
He was the man that came to pick up Cora and Derek from school, and took them to the precinct. He had to tell them what happened to their family, to their home.  
And he was the one that took care of them the most.  
  
  
Derek vividly remembers the way the sheriff eyed his uncle when he came to pick them up, as if he wanted to make sure that they were in the right hands. As if he wasn’t going to let them leave if he thought they weren’t.  
  
  
But they did leave, and Derek lived with Cora and Peter for two years. He finished high school, but he wasn’t like he was before. He stayed in the back of the classroom, trying to slip away, trying to get by unnoticed, silently doing his work and getting the grades he needed to get the hell out.  
  
  
As soon as he graduated he left for New York.  
  
  
That was seven years ago.  
  
  
So all things considered, it wasn’t all that weird that Derek felt unsure of himself as he stepped out of the airport, heading towards a taxi.  
  
  
\---  
  
  
The taxi dropped him off at Peter’s house. He pays the man and starts walking towards the door, only to stop after a few feet. He hadn’t told Peter and Cora he was coming.  
  
  
In his seven years in New York he hadn’t really made any friends. He had some acquaintances at work but that was it really, and he didn’t even work because he needed to. Money had never been a problem since the fire.  
  
  
A week ago Derek decided he was done. Done living in an apartment that was too big for him, in a city that was too big for anyone, done managing instead of really living an actual life, and done dealing with it alone.  
  
  
And now he was back, and he doesn’t know how he could ever have thought that he would be okay with that, that it was a good idea to confront himself with his entire past at once. Derek sighs.  
  
  
He stalks up to the door and rings the bell, after which he takes one step back.  
No going back now.  
  
  
\---


	2. Chapter 2 -0- Can a Boy Feel Like Home?

“Derek?”

Derek looks up from at his feet to see Peter looking at him wearing a confused expression, mouth slightly open, eyes wide.  
“What the hell are you doing here?”

Derek scoffs. It was his trademark move, after all. “Thanks Peter, that’s very heartwarmi- uff!”

He’s cut off by Peter pulling him into a not-so-very-comfortable hug. The sudden show of affection catches him by surprise and it takes him a few seconds before he reciprocates, putting his arms around Peter’s back.  
“I didn’t expect my lovely nephew on my doorstep! Why on earth didn’t you call?” Peter wonders out loud, grinning, letting Derek go and holding the door open for him to enter.

“I uh, I don’t actually know” Derek stammers, walking in and putting his bag down by the kitchen table. “This whole thing was kinda last minute.” Peter is looking at him like he knows there is something more to it. Damnit, it’s been seven years, he shouldn’t be able to read Derek like this.  
“I quit my job.” Derek blurts out. “And I gave up my apartment.”

“Wait what?” Peter asks. He was turning on the coffee maker, but now he’d whipped back around, facing Derek.  
“What the hell happened? Are you okay?”  
“I’m fine. It just.. I don’t know. Last week it all got too much for me in New York.” Derek grits out. He’s ashamed. He’s a grown man goddamnit, he should be able to take care of himself by now.

But Peter looked at him with understanding in his eyes, and let the topic go for now. Derek was grateful, he just wanted to feel home again for a while, safe.  
“Coffee?”

“Please.” Derek replies, settling down at the coffee table, putting his head on his arms. He was dead tired.

“What the hell is going on down here, what’s all the ruckus about?” Cora barges into the kitchen, eyes growing wide when they fall on Derek, who looked up when she walked in. Derek smiles softly at her.  
“Hey sis.” he says, standing up and walking over to give her a hug.

“What are you doing here dude? You didn’t even text me about this?” she sounds annoyed, but Derek sees right through her façade as she hugs him back, too tight.

“Derek quit his job.” Peter announces from by the coffee maker. Derek groans. Oh no.

“WHAT?” Cora turns to look at Peter, who smirks, then turns her gaze back to Derek again.  
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing quitting the only thing that brought you any social interaction, Derek?”  
“Hey!” Derek retorts, wanting to say that he had friends, thank you very much. Except that he didn’t.  
Before he can say anything Peter speaks up and scolds Cora.  
“Language Cora, language!”  
“I’m 18 I can say whatever the fuck I want!”  
“Like hell you can!”  
Derek sighs, getting his coffee and sitting back down at the coffee table. He was home alright.

\---

Derek is still frowning when he and Cora make their way down to the car to go to the supermarket.

(“Well I can’t help that you showed up unannounced Derek, I don’t have enough for dinner.”  
“Then why do I have to go too?”  
“You’re his sister. He’s gonna need you for mental support.”)

“I’ll wait in the car. I’m not going into the store.” Derek huffs, sitting down behind the wheel as Cora slips into the passenger’s seat.  
“Like hell you’re going to wait in the car. Peter said you had to do the shopping!”  
“I don’t know the store, plus I don’t know what you normally buy. I bet it’s different, I haven’t lived with him for the last seven years. It’ll be quicker when you do it.”  
Cora sighs. “Fine. But don’t think I’m getting you pop tarts. You probably lived of those damned things in New York.”

Derek wants to pout due to the lack of pop tarts, but can’t help but give Cora a smile. It’s foul play, but he knew pulling out the ‘seven years gone’ card would work. Cora knows he ran away from a lot of pain. It’s a pathetic sob story, but it works.  
And Derek really doesn’t want to do the shopping.

When he pulls up in the mall parking lot both he and Cora get out the car. Cora looks at him questioningly.  
“Need some fresh air.” he explains. Cora looks at him with sad eyes, nods, and walks away. He doesn’t really want her pity, but what’s the point in lying. Being back in Beacon Hills has been more daunting than he thought it would be, and being surrounded with all things familiar soothes him and makes him feel like he’s drowning all at the same time.

Derek is leaning against the hood of the car, distracting himself by staring at his feet once again and kicking some rocks across the parking lot, when the sound of a car door opening a few rows ahead distracts him from his brooding. The space had been completely vacant apart from a few cars, so Derek hadn’t expected anyone at this hour. He sees a boy (Man? Boy? Derek can’t really tell) load his groceries into his beat up blue jeep, furrowing his brows because of the weight while doing so.

There was something about the boy that looked vaguely familiar to Derek, but he was more disgruntled by the fact that the boy felt familiar, too.  
Derek hadn't realised he was staring until the jeep door slammed shut, the boy caught his eyes and smiled. Derek quickly looks down and curses himself for being so incautious, he didn't built up these walls for nothing. Social interaction is just not his thing. When he looks back up he sees that the boy has starting walking, the moon casting a bleak light over his already pale skin as he makes his way across the mall parking lot. His eyes don't leave Derek's, and his smile never fades until he is standing in front of him.

"Hi, I'm Stiles. Derek right? Man you grew up. Don't know if you remember me. I'm the sheriff's son." he smiles warmly at Derek.

And of course he was. This was the boy who looked around the office door corner all those years ago when Derek and his sister we're taken in. The boy who walked in on that night. And the boy who put his 9-year-old hand on Derek's 16-year-old knee and told him it was going to be okay, because his mom had died too, and he was also okay.

“Stiles” Derek breathes, caught off guard by the sincerity in the boys eyes as he looks up at Derek.  
“Hey.”

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHO DECIDED TO SHOW UP
> 
> This fic has already been doing better than I thought it would, so thank you thank you thank you.
> 
> Don't hesitate to leave me feedback loves, I don't know what the hell I'm doing.  
> Stay golden <3


	3. Chapter 3 -0- God Bless Puberty

“Hey.” Stiles retorts, grinning, his teeth catching his bottom lip as he looks down at his feet and then back up at Derek.

It wasn’t really fair for Stiles to say Derek was the one who grew up, in Derek’s opinion. From what he can remember, Stiles was a really lanky 9-year-old, buzz cut, limbs too long for his body, with a little round face and big brown eyes.  
The last part didn’t really change. Except now Stiles had filled out in all the right places, he was no longer lanky, he was _lean_. Obviously slender but still muscular, with a sharp jaw and a full head of hair. His limbs we’re still long but now they _made sense_ , and Derek couldn’t help but let his eyes linger on his hands for a few seconds.

“Dude, you okay?” the boy asks, making Derek’s eyes shoot back up to his. His eyes search Derek’s and Derek decides he wasn’t right about them being the same. They were sharper now, sadder as well, and Derek wants to know why.

“… Yeah I’m fine, sorry. I haven’t been in Beacon Hills for a while.”  
“Ah that’s okay!” Stiles smiles, “I totally get that man, I haven’t seen you around for ages. What, it’s been like, years? Seven or eight? What did New York do to you that made you come back?”

Wow, at least that didn’t change. The boy can still talk like there’s no tomorrow. Derek frowns.  
“How do you know I was in New York?” he questions, slightly on edge.  
Stiles simply grins again. “Your sister went to Beacon Hills High, and so did I. We took the same history class, word gets around.”

Ah, that’s right. Derek feels tension ease from his shoulders. Cora graduated two months ago. He should really buy her a present for that. He did call her from New York, but he’s 100% sure Cora doesn’t think that counts.

He doesn’t want Stiles to feel bad for him, so he lies.  
“Decided a week ago that New York wasn’t really the place for me anymore.” Derek huffs. Wasn’t even a complete lie. Derek likes to call it withholding the truth.

“Right, right..” Stiles mutters. “I hate New York, too loud, I’d go insane. That’s why I’m staying here for now, with my dad.” Stiles smiles softly at the mention of his dad, moving so he was leaning against the car next to Derek, their shoulders touching.  
“Why, no college?” Derek asks. He wants to understand, but he doesn’t. He got out of this town as soon as he had the chance to, a week after he graduated.  
“I could, but I postponed my scholarship to next year. I have no idea what the hell I even want to do, and diving into something I am unsure of didn’t seem like the best idea, so I skipped the idea altogether. Now I’m just working over here for a year, at the second hand bookstore downtown. I love it though.” He looks away from Derek before softly adding; “I really don’t want to leave my dad alone, you know. He wouldn’t have anyone to take care of him, alone in the house.” he sighs.

“But let’s not get into that.” Derek notices he changes his posture, grin slipping back on his face, almost like a mask. “I don’t know why I even brought it up, I-” Stiles stops talking when his cell phone buzzes. He takes it out of his pocket checks the screen to see who’s calling.  
“Speaking of the devil...” he mutters, looking back up at Derek.

“It’s my dad, I gotta go, I…” he looks around as if he’s looking for something. “Maybe I will see you around?” he asks, looking… hopeful? Derek assumes that’s not what it is, and he pushes away the thought for later.

“Sure.” he says, probably sounding less interested than he is.  
“Cool! Okay bye Derek! Good to see you!” Stiles turns around, finally answering his phone. Derek stares.

(“Yeah hi dad.” “No I got you turkey bacon.” “I _know_ it doesn’t taste as good as normal bacon dad, but think of your health.” “How dare you, I am your _son_ ”)

Stiles gets into his jeep, and Derek gets into his car. When Cora comes back the ride back to the house is silent, and the rest of the night passes in a blur.  
Derek is happy when he collapses in the bed in his old room that night, exhausted, and ready to pass out.

…Did Stiles always have those moles? He must’ve, there were dozens, littering his jaw and neckline.

Derek groans, draping his pillow over his face. Sleep was overrated anyway.

\---

“You look like shit.” Cora announces as she barges into the kitchen.

Derek is sitting at the kitchen table with his arms crossed, leaning onto the table and staring at the wood with a ridiculously sized cup of coffee in front of him. Peter was busying himself making breakfast.

“Thanks.” He drops his head onto his arms. “Couldn’t sleep.” he adds, words muffled by his own arm.  
“Why not?” Peter asks, setting down a plate of eggs and bacon in front of Derek, and another one at the other side of the table for Cora.

Derek hesitates. “I uh... I had to get used to my bed again, is all.” he says, looking away from Peter as he says so. Cora raises an eyebrow at him, but Peter replies distractedly.  
“Aha, okay” he disappears into the hallway to get his coat. “Well kids, I have some business to attend to on the other side of town.” he says as he reappears in the doorway. Derek frowns at the ‘kids’ but lets it go. “You two gonna be okay for the day?” They both nod, and Peter is out the door.

Ever since he started living in Beacon Hills Peter has been volunteering at the local CDV, Centre of Domestic Violence. He mostly mans the hotline, but if somethings needs checking out and no one else is on patrol, it’s Peter’s job. He decided that if he was going to take care of Derek and Cora, he might as well take care of everyone else in Beacon Hills who needs it. Derek still admires Peter for it.

“Okay.” Cora starts. Derek sighs. “Peter is gone, wanna tell me what’s really on your mind?”  
There is no point in lying to her, she’ll see right through him. So Derek talks.

“There’s this boy-”  
“OH MY _GOD_ Derek, what are you, 12? You’ve been here for day!” Cora is looking at him with an amused expression, trying not to laugh. Derek buries his face in his arms again.  
“Who are we even talking about right now? We only went out to the supermarket yesterday.” Cora asks, tapping Derek on the head while shoving some eggs into her face.  
“I think you know him, actually. He said he was in your class” Derek looks up, glaring at his sister.

“Well, at least we know he’s legal.” she deadpans.  
“CORA!” Derek hisses, blush creeping onto his cheeks.  
“Whaaat? This is extremely vital information Derek. So tell me. Who is it?” she raises her eyebrow at him. God she looked like Laura.  
Derek mimics her expression. “What’s in it for me?” he asks, challenging her.  
“Oh my god Derek if I know him I can help you out. Please stop being so emotionally constipated and just tell me.”  
Derek thinks it over. It won’t hurt him if he tells her. He does want to find out more about the boy. Might as well.  
“It’s Stiles.” he says. “Stiles Stilinski.”

“Stiles?” Cora asks softly, probably remembering how Derek knows the boy, and realising why he is so interested in him. Well, partly. But her face quickly turns into a grin again.

“I have his number.”

“What?” Derek frowns. He hadn’t even realised there was no way of coming in contact with Stiles again, other than another chance meeting, but what were the odds.  
“Why?” he adds, glaring at his sister again.  
“My god, calm down Der, we had a group chat for homework. Same class remember.” Right. Derek remembers.

Cora stands up and puts her plate in the sink, after which she heads for the door. Derek frowns.  
“But you know, _I don’t see what’s in it for me_ , so.” she mocks Derek’s low voice.  
“Wait.” he huffs. She waits.  
“Peter probably has you doing chores right?” he asks. At this, Cora turns around, a wicked grin on her face.  
“I’m listening.”

“I’ll do them for a week.”  
“Two weeks.”  
“Fine.”

\---

Derek basically spends his whole day staring at the new contact in his phone.  
Cora calls him pathetic multiple times, and every time she does Derek tells her that he’s not interested in Stiles that way. He just wants to catch up.  
Derek very stubbornly tells himself he’s not lying.

When he’s getting ready for bed that night he’s glaring at this phone on his nightstand. He frowns. What the hell was he doing? It’s just Stiles. Except maybe it wasn’t _just_ Stiles.  
He stalks over to his bed, grabs his phone and aggressively types out a message. Without second thoughts he sends it and turns his phone off.  
Derek once again puts his pillow over his head and tries to clear his head. It doesn’t really work.

_Cora gave me your number. Do you have work tomorrow? – Derek ___

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoooooooooomygod they communicated. well, Stiles communicated, Derek mainly listened. what's new, right.
> 
> feedback is welcome!  
> thanks loves <3


	4. Chapter 4 -0- Four Cappuccinos Later

Derek wakes up the next morning with a major headache and about zero will to live.  
He hadn’t slept very well again, but he refuses to think about what had caused it right now. It is 9am, damnit. He reaches for his nightstand and grabs his phone absentmindedly, turning it on. It isn’t until he hears three text notifications come in that he remembers that he texted Stiles last night.

Fuck.

One of the notifications is from Headache in Human Form- Cora, the other two are from Stiles.

_Derek I swear to god if you come downstairs and you still haven’t texted Stiles I will personally message him and tell him you are practically pining for him I refuse to live through another day of you staring at your phone as if you’re awaiting a messaging from your husband who’s at war._

Derek frowns. He wasn’t ‘practically pining’. He wasn’t pining at all. Derek quickly types at a reply telling her that he did text him, after which he taps on Stiles’ name.

_Hey Derek! That’s great! :) I had no idea how I was going to contact you, guess that’s resolved.  
I totally have work today… Why? Did you want to meet up? I mean, you don’t have to, of course, that’d be totally fine. Well not completely fine because I want to talk to you but you know, like, that’d be okay. I still can’t believe you’re in Beacon Hills! My dad says hi._

Derek is staring at his phone. He is having a hard time getting over the fact that Stiles just practically sent him a novel instead of a text, with a smiley face in it. He frowns when he reads the last sentence. Stiles had been talking about him? Then his eyes scan the second text.

_Oh! If you do want to hang out, you could just come by the bookstore! I’m there all day until 6, and it’s never really busy on Mondays. We have a coffee machine, promise._

Derek huffs. Did he really look like he needed caffeine so badly yesterday? But it wasn’t like he was gonna say no, it actually didn’t sound all that bad to meet up at Stiles’ work. Not too much pressure to keep the conversation going. He doesn’t want to come across like an antisocial loser. Because he isn’t. He isn’t!

_Sounds good. Text me the address and I’ll drop by sometime today. Derek_

\---

Stiles had responded with the address immediately, smiley face included, and now Derek found himself in bed with no idea what to do because he doesn’t want to head over there immediately. He isn’t that desperate. He sighs and gets up, getting ready for a shower.

When he gets downstairs Cora is laying on the couch watching tv. She looks up at him and smirks.  
“Goodmoooooorning Mr. Casanova!” she singsongs, throwing her hands in the air like some kind of enthusiastic tv-show presenter.  
“No.” Derek points. “Coffee first.”

He pads into the kitchen with the sounds of Cora cackling behind him.  
“Cora I’ve told you this before, I just want to know how he’s been.” He calls from the kitchen, taking his mug and leaning against the door frame.  
“You never want to know how anyone has been.” she says, eyebrow raised. “Except us.”  
Derek just stares at her and Cora sighs.

“Listen Der, all I’m saying is that I know Stiles, and _you_ know him too. Don’t give me that look, you know what I mean. He’s a good person Derek, and you’re not gonna tell me he’s not attractive. So if you do like him, get to know him and go snatch him up before anyone else does, god knows that probably won’t take long. And don’t go all ‘what if he doesn’t like me’ on me, because if that boy is into dudes, he’s going to be into you. You’re quite the catch, Der.” she grins.

Derek sighs.  
“Just… trust me on this one Cor.”  
“Fine, I’ll let it go.” she says, turning back to the tv.  
“Thank you.”

“… for now.”  
Derek groans. He was gonna need more coffee.

\---

Derek manages to pretend to be busy until around 2:30pm, which is when he gets into the car to find Adam Drive 182.  
He gets out in front of a fairly old, but well taken care of building, and a slightly faded sign tells him it’s called _Lattes & Literature_.  
This is when Derek realises he has no idea what he’s going to say to Stiles. He spends a few seconds debating whether or not just to text Stiles that he can’t make it, but then he sighs, rubs his temples, and heads for the door.

There’s no one inside the store, but that gives Derek a few seconds to take everything in.  
It looked more like an old library with a living room and a cash register built into it than a bookstore. There we’re several corners with big armchairs and little tables with antique lamps on them, and big, comfortable looking pillows were scattered all around the store.  
All the bookshelves, and most other furniture, were made out of a dark wood, and there were no modern lights, so all the light in the store was an old-time yellow shade. Soft jazz music was playing through speakers.  
Derek finds himself thinking he hasn’t felt at home this quickly before.

“Derek! I was starting to think you weren’t gonna come by man!” Stiles says, appearing from the back with a stack of books in his arms. Derek is torn from his trance and turns his gaze towards the smiling boy.  
“Give me a second.” Stiles huffs, dropping the books onto the front desk, after which he turns arounds and smiles up at Derek.  
“Hi.”

“Hey Stiles.” Derek replies, a small smile tugging at his lips. He doesn’t know what he had been so worried about, Stiles was going to do most of the talking anyway. All the nerves had practically drained from his system the second the boy had walked into the main part of the store.

They’re just kind of looking at each other and after a few seconds Stiles is the one to break the silence. “So I’m guessing coffee, right?” he asks, turning around to walk to the coffee machine. “I’m really just an espresso kinda guy, I need my caffeine to get through the day. Which is weird considering my ADHD, but what’s a guy gonna do right? Need to stay awake somehow, it gets silent here during the week. What do you want?”

Derek still can’t believe how the boy just _talks_ so easily. He envies Stiles for it.  
“Cappuccino, please.”

“Coming right up. Grab a chair dude, you don’t have to stand.” Stiles giggles. He _giggles_. Derek needs a few moments before he even processes what the boy had said, but he manages to walk over to the nearest sitting area and settle down a few feet away from the front desk before Stiles has the coffee ready.

“I’m sorry we have to meet up here by the way, I guess the store can get kinda boring. I don’t really know if you’re a type for books. It’s just that now that I have the time I try to squeeze as many hours in as I can, gotta save up for college.” Stiles sits down in the chair across from Derek, putting their drinks on the table in the middle.  
“I like books.” Derek says bluntly. “I thought you said you got a scholarship?” he questions. Stiles smiles at him.  
“Didn’t think you’d remember that, but yeah, I did get a scholarship, full ride, even. But since I’m not sure what I want to do yet, there’s a big chance I’m going to want to do a double major, and I’m not sure if I can manage to do that in four years.”

Derek isn’t exactly surprised, it’s not like he thinks Stiles isn’t smart, but that doesn’t mean he’s not impressed. Full scholarship? Double major?  
“When did you become a genius?” he thinks, but Stiles laughs. At least he _thought_ he had thought it, but apparently he had said it out loud.

“Don’t really strike you as the academic type, do I?” the boy asks, but he doesn’t look offended. “I honestly don’t know how I did it, but I do think Lydia helped. We both managed to maintain a 4.0 average, and she is off to MIT in a few weeks. She doing a double major in mathematics and science, and she about looks like a supermodel. Not to say I do, but I mean, you wouldn’t expect it of her, either.”

Derek frowns. “Lydia?”  
“Oh right! Haven’t lived here for seven years, got it. She kinda became a local celebrity a two years back. Lydia’s one of my best friends. I used to have like, the biggest crush on her, and I mean for years. All the way back from kindergarten. She used to pretend she wasn’t smart so she could stay popular, but two years ago she decided she could do both. So she did.”

Stiles tells him all this while staring ahead of him, smiling. Derek doesn’t love it.  
“So this Lydia girl and you… Did you ever end up-”  
“What? Ah no man! She made it very clear that she was not interested, and I got over it. We work well as friends, it’s all cool. It gave me some time to finally play the field, both sides. Not that there was much playing involved, I’m a mess.” Stiles snickers, making fun of himself.

Derek thinks he should probably feel relieved, but instead he feels like he’s been punched in the chest. Here he is, being social for once, and then Stiles –fucking Stiles– goes ahead and tells him he’s into guys as well.  
The conversation he had with Cora earlier that day pops into his head, but he pushes it away. This is not what he’s here for, he tries to convince himself.

“Right.” he says. “So working here and living with your dad for a year, huh?” he adds, looking into his coffee before taking a sip. It’s really good, and Derek files it away as a reason, an excuse, to come by here more often.  
“Yep!” the boy replies. “It can get quite boring, because my dad’s at the precinct a lot. But I just spend my days here or at Scott’s. Do you know Scott? He’s my best friend, you’ll probably meet him someday. He’s practically dating Isaac, who works here as well. But I don’t think either of them know it.” he grins.

How many friends did this guy have? Derek can’t help but be jealous of his social skills. He knew no one in Beacon Hills, despite it being a small town. The only people he communicated with we’re Cora, Peter, and random checkout assistants at stores. That was it.

“I’d like to meet him.” Derek says, and Stiles smiles at him. Why did he say that? He would most definitely not like to do that, he’s sure he’ll ruin that first impression somehow.  
Derek frowns, he’s sure he used to have more control over what he said.

\---

They talk for a while, Stiles getting up at random moments to ring up or help out a costumer that walks in, but there aren’t many.  
Before Derek realises it, it’s close to 6pm and Stiles has to close up the store. Derek gathers his stuff and heads for the door, turning around to wish Stiles goodbye.

“It was really good to talk to you again Derek, it’s been a long time.” Stiles grins at him. “Even though I probably mostly talked at you right? Sorry about that, you were a good listener, at least.”  
“It was fine Stiles” Derek replies.  
“Good, good. Oh! Before I forget, my dad said he’d like to see you too sometime, so maybe we could do lunch soon or something?” Stiles asks, and Derek is surprised.

“That uh… If the sheriff would like that, sure.” he says. “You’ll be there though, right?”  
Stiles smiles at him again, which seemed to have become a trend. Derek didn’t mind.

“I’ll be there.”

\---

When Derek goes to bed that night he drifts off immediately, sleeping better than he had in weeks.

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Derek is 100% sure he is not into Stiles.  
> Okay, maybe 99%. OKAY OKAY, a CLEAR 40%. maybe.
> 
> The street address is a dumb reference to Adam's Song by Blink 182. Don't shoot me.  
> Ideas? Feedback? Shoot!  
> Stay golden <3

**Author's Note:**

> sO OKAY GUYS.
> 
> Let me start off by saying; I have never written a fic before. So please go gentle on me.  
> If you read this, that means you will have made it to my horrendous first attempt so far, congratulations! I hope you stick around.
> 
> All the love


End file.
